Electronic equipment is often located within a housing, such as an equipment rack used to hold computer servers and the like in assemblies that are located within the rack. The electronic equipment generates substantial heat that must be dissipated. Cool air typically passes through the housings to help dissipate heat. In many cases, fans located in the front door and/or back door and/or within the rack and/or in the top of the rack are used to circulate the cold air and expel the warmed air.
One solution proposes a front or back rack panel that is several inches thick, and carries ducting and fans to route air through the rack. Cool air enters the bottom of the front, and exits the top of the back. However, such thickened panels increase the depth of the racks, which inherently limits the number of racks that can be fit into a data center.